HBO Max’s “Euphoria” is not for the faint of heart with its mix of taboo topics including teen drug abuse, infidelity and self-image. (Courtesy Photo)
By Yanet Castro
Staff Writer
What does euphoria mean? Euphoria is an extreme, unrealistic feeling of physical and emotional well-being, feeling “high.”
The second season of HBO Max’s most popular show, “Euphoria,” has come to an end, leaving viewers stunned.
“Euphoria” is an original drama series on HBO Max that covers many taboo topics such as addiction, teen drug abuse, mental health and infidelity.
The show is about a group of high school students that go through hardships that include experiences of trauma due to family, friends, identity and love.
“Euphoria” is graphic and not meant for younger audiences or people who are sensitive to certain views and topics.
The main character is Rue Bennett, played by Zendaya, who becomes addicted to drugs after the death of her father.
In season two, Rue is at her lowest point with drugs, as she will do anything for them, even sacrificing her relationships and her life.
Other than Zendaya and Eric Dane, who you might know as Mark Sloan from “Grey’s Anatomy,” there are not many well-known actors in “Euphoria.” Many of the actors who play main characters in the show were somewhat underground before “Euphoria.”
That is something I love about the show, they find unique and undiscovered actors for their series.
Nowadays, it is always the same actors in movies and shows, so it was good to see new actors getting their chance to shine.
I am not going to say too much for those who haven’t watched it yet, but the cinematography in season two is incredible.
The scenes in season two are very detailed and planned to perfection based on the sceneries and lighting that goes with the situations.
Art and fashion are also very involved in this show, from makeup, nails, outfits and more. The makeup in this show puts a heavy emphasis on the eyes.
The eyeshadow is usually bright, shimmery, and blingy. It is galactic type makeup with rhinestones and exotic designs and can be a subtle way to show how the character is feeling.
If a character is sad their eyeliner is droopy to make their eyes look low. If a character is feeling bold their eyeshadow is bright with glitter surrounding their eyelids and eyebrows to indicate they are confident.
Press-on nails also tend to go with the makeup and outfits. “Euphoria” nails are erratic with a mix of colors that don’t usually go together, but somehow they make them look good.
This show has such good makeup that entire trends have been created on various social media accounts in an attempt to match the “Euphoria” aesthetic.
Due to the show’s popularity on social media, many fans post on various platforms about each new episode.
The series would release a new episode every Sunday at 8 p.m. and after watching, fans would swarm to talk about it on social media.
Personally, this was very irritating because some people didn’t get to see the new episode and would end up with spoilers on every app.
It got so bad on my own Twitter that I had to mute certain words to ensure that “Euphoria” posts wouldn’t show on my feed.
That is one of the things I did not like while watching the show, but it wasn’t the show’s fault, but those watching.
Something else I did not enjoy was the excessive nudity scenes.
The first couple of episodes had a lot of unnecessary nude scenes that were somewhat weird. The show would do perfectly fine without these shots and this was proven in their three last episodes of season two. These episodes did not have nude scenes and were the best episodes of the season.
Some scenes are understandable in the way they used nudity to show passion and intimacy, but the other times were not necessary.
I enjoyed the suspense I would feel at the end of each episode and asking myself “Is that the end?” due to how fast the episode would fly through.
Season two was a really good season and knowing myself I would have finished the show in 2 days if they hadn’t staggered the release of each episode.
I liked how they made us all wait a week for a new episode so all the fans can watch it together and not spoil anything. Although, that didn’t stop some people from doing just that.
“Euphoria” focuses on real-life situations in a setting and age that we don’t usually see in television. The acting and production are excellent and will get you hooked on the show from the very beginning.
If you enjoy watching drama and action with plenty of rebellion mixed in, then “Euphoria” is a great match for you.